Courts of Chivalry and Admiralty in Late Medieval Europe

The wars waged by the English in France during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries led to the need for judicial agencies which could deal with disputes that arose on land and sea, beyond the reach of indigenous laws. This led to the jurisdictional development of the Courts of Chivalry and Admiralty, presiding over respectively heraldic and maritime disputes. They were thus of considerable importance in the middle ages; but they have attracted comparatively little scholarly attention.
The essays here examine their officers, proceedings and the wider cultural and political context in which they had jurisdiction and operated in later medieval Western Europe. Topics include the role of heralds in the chivalric arena, and in disputes about coats of arms on the wider European stage; their place in gentry culture; military careerists; the law of the sea and its significance for international relations; the future Richard III's tenure as Constable and Admiral; and a re-assessment of the overlap between the law of arms and the law of prize (the acquisition of ownership of ships or goods from enemies).